Teen's invention aims to keep cooks from slicing fingers
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but not for one creative Salisbury teenager.
It was the father of invention.
Robert "R.J." Batts' dad would come home from work sometimes with nicks on his fingers. Such are the hazards of a being a chef who works regularly with knives and has to prepare food quickly.
An idea came to R.J. a few years ago: What if there were a way to shield your fingers from the blade?
With the help of an after-school program hosted by the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce, the 14-year-old Parkside High student is on his way toward putting his invention on a store shelf near you.
He named his gadget Tip Tough — trademark pending. It is a sheaf of shiny stainless steel big enough to cover four fingers. The metal tapers down into a basket that houses the fingertips and is equipped with holes for drainage during washing. Nubs protrude slightly from the bottom to fasten the food being sliced into place.
It costs $6.50 to make; it is manufactured at Metal Magic in Ocean City. The retail price is $14.99.
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If you want one, you'll have to go directly through R.J., namely his website TipTough.com or his Facebook page. But he plans to have plenty available during a demonstration Saturday, Sept. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ace Hardware on College Avenue in Salisbury. And he plans to be at the Holiday Shopper's Fair in November in Ocean City.
He is in talks, though, to put the product on the shelves at the Ace location and at the Bed Bath & Beyond on the north side of town.
Some day, he would like Tip Tough to be a regular sight at housewares aisles across the country. Maybe the next Slap Chop.
He couldn't have imagined owning his own business and bringing a product to the brink of receiving a patent until last fall, when his parents enrolled him in the chamber's Young Entrepreneur's Academy.
"I had a drawing on a paper," R.J. said.
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On a business "fast track"
R.J. was in the inaugural class of Salisbury's academy.
From November through May, he joined a class of 24 students on Tuesday afternoons at the Wicomico Public Library. The subject matter focused on topics rarely discussed in school: marketing, public speaking, product development, business management.
The class is led by a Berlin-based business consultant named Donnie Waters and the library's executive director, Andrea Berstler. Along the way, students also get advice from local business leaders selected from a host of fields.
The goal for each of the students, who range from sixth-graders to 12th-graders, is to create a going concern by the end of the program, with a business license and all.
The academy is one of more than 160 local chapters across the country, each patterned after the flagship program that launched in Rochester, New York, in 2004. One of the highlights is going before a panel of local CEOs and making a pitch for venture capital in the same manner as on the television show "Shark Tank."
“It’s a fast track to creating a business in six months," said Sophia Smecker, director of media and public relations for the chamber.
Salisbury's first year produced 14 licensed businesses, she said, including smartphone apps and product-based businesses like R.J.'s. Tyler Dunn, a senior in high school at the time, created a strap that keeps scoops inside containerized products like powdered detergents and sports drinks from getting lost. Sarah Chambers, an eighth grader, created a three-in-one hat, scarf and glove that she hopes nonprofits can sell to raise money for their causes.
The application deadline for this year's class is Sept. 30.
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Overcoming the odds
Although his business office consists of only a file cabinet in his family's dining room, R.J. has sold 200 Tip Toughs so far.
He learned more lessons during the academy than he can list, but the most important, he said, was: "If it looks like it will fail, just keep on going because it will probably work."
That moment came for him when he was trying to finalize a design with help from his mother, Lori. The idea is based on the case of a mini-cassette tape that R.J. found lying around the house one day — at least the half that holds the tape.
They bought a 3-D printer for $2,500, but all they have to show for their homegrown efforts is a handful of misshapen prototypes. Finally, through connections with the academy's mentors, R.J. found his way to Metal Magic, which was able to turn his ideas into metallic reality.
Home tests further proved its mettle.
"I hate to cut lettuce, basil and parsley," Lori Batts said. "But you just put this on and shoom, shoom, shoom," she added, making cutting movements in the air.
R.J.'s father, Bob, who works at Horizons Oceanfront restaurant at the Clarion Resort, said he sees several uses for the device beyond food preparation. It could spare someone's fingers while cleaning a fish, dressing an animal or cutting boxes, he said.
R.J. believes his product stands out from its competition. There are several types of cut-resistant gloves on the market, but ones with comparable blade-blocking power to his Tip Tough retail for $80 and up. And they can have issues with getting clean after cutting bacteria-laced foods like chicken.
Another product, called a Finger Guard and marketed under the name of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, offers a similar shield of protection across the length of the fingers. But its flaw, R.J. said, is that it allows the fingertips to poke out from beneath.
School is this inventor's top priority. But he also hopes to further develop his product, releasing a less-expensive plastic version and one for kids in the near future.
Young Entrepreneurs Academy registration
What: Deadline for registering for the 2016-17 class
When: Must be submitted by Friday, Sept. 30
Who: Sponsored by the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce and open to middle and high school students
About: An after-school program held on Tuesdays from November through May at the Wicomico Public Library that guides students toward creating their own businesses.
Cost: $295. Scholarships are available.
For more information: Visit www.salisburyarea.com/yea or call 410-749-0144
410-845-4630
On Twitter @Jeremy_Cox